Telling The Real Stories

Government shutdown or government showdown?

Last week, the federal government shut down for about two and a half days because Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the Doofus-in-Chief were unable to come together about a variety of issues, including parity for defense and non-defense spending, border security, and the plight of the Dreamers. The President took about a half-dozen different viewpoints on these issues, including diametrically opposed positions on immigration alone. In his negotiations with Senate and House leaders, he stated “I’ll take the heat….Send a bill to me and I’ll sign it.”

Unfortunately, Donald forgot what Tuesday Donald said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spent hours with President Trump on Friday, trying to find some common ground for a compromise, but was ultimately unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion. The government shut down that Friday at midnight Eastern Time. It would reopen on Monday based on a Continuing Resolution, which kept government funding constant based on the last budget. This is the first time in American history the government shut down under single-party rule.

The largest issue was the fate of the Dreamers. The Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, took the position that there was negotiation time through the beginning of March for Congress to act. Of course, any person who is even vaguely following politics knows there is little chance of any passing of a Dreamers bill without a crisis, like a shutdown. Even if Speaker Ryan was inclined to bring a Dreamers bill to the floor, the House Freedom Caucus would vote against it and would then attempt to undermine Ryan within the House Republican Caucus itself.

The American People blamed President Trump and the Republican Party overwhelmingly. The Democrats, while not unscathed, definitely have public opinion on their side. The Continuing Resolution that reopened the Government only lasts through February and McConnell has promised a vote on Dreamers legislation before then in the Senate.

If McConnell does not keep his word, I think that the Democrats should shut down the government. Make Dreamers a 2018 campaign issue. I am against extreme tactics like this, but the Senate Majority Leader will have broken his word. The Senate Democrats signed onto reopening the government because of McConnell’s word. The public opinion is very much in the Democrat’s favor, with a pro-Dreamer sentiment in the high 80-low 90 percent range.

I hate that our Republic has fallen so far in such a short amount of time. It breaks my heart. But Dreamers were brought across the border as kids. They have never broken a single law (part of the requirement for DACA protection). They are graduating from high school and college and becoming productive members of our society. They deserve justice.